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Updated: Jun 2, 2026
06:58
Frailty Assessment in an Aging Mouse Model
Published on: September 23, 2025
Frailty Progression Moderates the Association Between Sensory and Cognitive Trajectories Over 6 Years: Evidence From
Fereshteh Mehrabi1, Natalie A Phillips1, M Kathleen Pichora-Fuller2
1Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Ear and Hearing
|June 1, 2026
Summary
Frailty progression exacerbates the link between sensory decline and cognitive impairment, especially vision loss impacting executive function. Addressing frailty may support cognitive health in aging individuals with sensory deficits.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Neuroscience
- Public Health
Background:
- Sensory loss (hearing, vision) is linked to cognitive decline in older adults.
- The role of biological factors like frailty in this relationship is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if hearing, vision, and frailty trajectories predict cognitive trajectories over 6 years.
- To determine if frailty progression moderates the sensory-cognitive decline association.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 19,378 Canadian adults (45-86 years) using three waves of data.
- Latent growth curve modeling analyzed trajectories of sensory performance, frailty, and cognitive function (executive function, memory).
- Analyses adjusted for covariates and stratified by sex.
Main Results:
- Frailty progression correlated with declines in executive function and memory.
- Hearing loss linked to memory decline; vision loss linked to executive function decline.
- Combined vision decline and increasing frailty showed steepest executive function decline; frailty moderated hearing-executive function link, particularly in females.
Conclusions:
- Frailty progression may mediate the association between sensory decline and executive function, especially with vision loss.
- Public health interventions targeting frailty in those with sensory decline could promote cognitive aging.
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